Global engineering technologies company Renishaw and Cardiff Blues Community Foundation (www.cardiffblues.com) have delivered a successful pilot programme as part of a three-year partnership to raise the aspirations of local Year 8 and 9 students.

After taking part in the eight-week Raising Aspirations programme, which included workshops and a visit to Renishaw’s Miskin facility in South Wales, the students had an increased perception of their abilities in many areas, including team-building, goal-setting, communication, leadership, career pathways and interview preparation.

Since Renishaw began working with Cardiff Blues Rugby Club in January, the programme has worked with 102 pupils from five different schools in the area.

The visit to Miskin included a 3-D printing workshop and an apprenticeship talk led by the company’s education out-reach team.

At the end of the programme, pupils were invited to a celebration event at Cardiff Arms Park Stadium, where they watched a game between Cardiff Blues and Llanelli-based Scarlets and met some of the players.

Nadine Griffiths, community foundation director at Cardiff Blues, said: “We’ve had great feedback from the students involved. In the first week, they rated their skill sets out of six ― the average figure was two.

“By the last week, there was a big improvement, with many rating their skills at five or six. This shows how effective a short programme can be at changing the minds of young people about their capabilities and their future.”

To find out more about the educational opportunities at Renishaw for schools in Gloucestershire, Bristol and South Wales, visit the Web site (www.renishaw.com/educationoutreach).